I blink and shake the thought free from my head. “You look great.” My voice creaks.
“I can’t thank you enough. Seriously,” Luke answers. “I don’t want to take up any more of your time, though, so I’ll be on my way. I’m sorry I can’t pay you, but if I do get this job, I’ll be back and I’ll pay you in full,” he promises.
“No, don’t worry about that.” I lift my hand. “I like doing this. When you get the job feel free to come back as a regular.” I tilt my head and peer up at him from under my lashes. “I’d love to see you again.” I realize what I just said and my cheeks blaze bright. “I mean, to hear about the job, of course.”
“Sure.” His blue eyes twinkle and we walk out to the door. As I lock up for the second time today, Luke easily reaches the bars I struggled to grab earlier and tugs them down. I quickly lock them down and when I stand up, I know our bodies are closer than they should be, yet it feels so right. Like a calm has washed over me and stilled every worry I’ve ever carried on my soul.
I want to kiss him, to feel his arms around me. I want this moment to last forever. But instead I just say goodbye.
“Goodbye,” he answers and he lets me walk away.
I mean, I’m not sure what else I thought would happen. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed to know that I’ll probably never see Luke again.
Lost in my own world of instant regret, I turn around the corner and walk down the cracked sidewalk to my car. Heavy footsteps thud behind me and I turn with a smile to see Luke’s face again. He must have thought the same thing and came after me.
However, the smirk falls flat on my face as I see a man coming at me that I don’t know. “Give me your purse, lady, and I won’t hurt you.” He tugs my bag and I stupidly hang onto it tight. I know I should give it up. I don’t need the trouble. But my keys to my shop and all my ID is in there. I struggle as he yanks it free from my arm.
“Help! Fuck, give me back my purse, asshole!” I scream, but the man shoves me backward and I land flat on my ass.
Chapter 4 - Luke
My worn sneakers grind against the pebbles on the sidewalk as I take a few steps away from Gabriella’s salon. I stop in my tracks and throw a glance over my shoulder. She’s already rounded the corner of the building and has walked out of my sight. I don’t want to be some kind of stalker, but as I take in the hues of dark blue washing over the sky, I can’t shake the feeling that I should follow her and make sure she gets to her car safe. She doesn’t need to know I’m keeping an eye on her. Once I see her get in her car, I’ll head out to the soup kitchen. Hopefully I can grab a warm plate of food before I call it a night.
Pulling my bag tight against my shoulders, I turn and walk in the direction Gabriella headed in. She’s such a beautiful woman, inside and out. It’s rare to find someone who is so compassionate and genuine these days. Or maybe that’s just me. After spending time on the streets where people passed by me, or worse, stared at me with utter disgust, it stirred my spirit to have someone look at the real me.
Of course, her beauty isn’t the only reason I’m tracking her right now. Call me old-fashioned, but I think men should always walk women to their car. I don’t care if a lady is nineteen or ninety, she deserves to have peace of mind and to be safe.
“Help! Fuck, give me back my purse, asshole!”
The shriek pierces the cool chill in the evening air and runs a shiver down my spine. It might have been years since I was in the army, but as soon as I hear her calling out like that, I spring into action like I just finished basic training yesterday. Sprinting around the corner, I see a hooded man shove Gabriella down onto the pavement and grab her purse. Anger rolls up in my gut like ocean waves on a stormy sea as I narrow my eyes and zero in on him. My feet hit the pavement in long strides and my hands slice through the air as I chase the cowardly piece of shit down and close in on him. I fight my instinct to stop and tend to Gabriella. I could see that she is okay, but there’s no way I’m letting this guy get away with mugging her and pushing her around.
I quickly chase him down and reach out. My fingers grasp the fabric of his hoodie and I yank him backward toward me hard, catching him off balance. The man falls on his ass and I jump on top of him, giving him a sharp jab to the ribs once, twice, three times before standing up and jerking the purse free from his hands.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I snarl down at him. I’m tempted to kick him. To keep pounding him until him limping away isn’t an option he has anymore. Rage is coursing through my veins with every heartbeat. Fire licks up my throat and my vision blurs a little as I struggle to get my temper under control. I force myself to stand my ground as the fucker gets up and runs down the street. I breathe deep, letting him go. I know that hurting him won’t really teach someone like him a damned thing. All it will do is take away my chance to finally get my life back under control. He’s not worth it.
I turn and jog back to Gabriella, holding out my hands. I easily lift her back to her feet and help brush her off. “Are you okay?” I hold her against me and she trembles against my chest. She sniffles before clearing her throat and stepping back. She turns her back to me and I can see her wipe away her tears. “Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay. I got your bag back.” I hold out her purse.
Gabriella turns back to me and smiles weakly. It’s easy to see she’s shaken up. I don’t blame her. “Thank you.” Her voice cracks and her lip quivers slightly.
“Don’t thank me. I’m just sorry I didn’t walk you to your car right away. That guy never would’ve pulled that shit if I did.” I look at my feet.
“I’m glad you came when you did,” she answers and clings onto her bag, digging her keys out with her shaky hand.
“Me too.”
“My car is just up there.” She nods up at the beat-up Ford Tempo parked half a block up. “I mean, if you don’t mind walking me?”
“Of course.” I smile and stay by her side as we make our way to her car.
“I wish there was something I could do for you.” She almost sounds like she’s thinking out loud, not really talking to me.
“I mean, there is one thing, but I totally understand if you don’t want to or whatever,” I blurt out the words and her eyes grow wide. I suddenly realize she must think I’m about to ask her for some kind of indecent proposal and heat rises up the back of my neck. “I don’t mean anything sketchy. I just, I’d love it if I could take a shower tonight to get ready for my interview. There’s a truck stop that lets me clean up sometimes, but it’s all the way across town. Is there any way I could hitch a ride with you?” I can feel her eyes on me as we stop at the edge of her car. She doesn’t say a word. My question hangs over us like a cloud.
“No.” Her voice is soft but firm. I’m such a fool for even asking. Of course she doesn’t want me in her car. She doesn’t know me from Adam.
“That’s okay.” I try to hide my disappointment and keep my face steady. “I can figure it out.” I take a big step back and look down the street so she won’t see the pain in my eyes.
“No, don’t go!” Gabriella reaches out and her fingers grasp onto my hand. I stop short and my heart pounds hard in my chest. “I meant I won’t take you to the truck stop because you can take a shower at my place,” she whispers.
“Are you sure?” I step in closer to her and admire her beautiful brown eyes.
“Yes. It’s the least I can do.”
Chapter 5 - Gabriella
Luke clicks his seat belt into place as I start the car and pull away from the curb. Normally I would never let a man I know so little about come over to my place. However, there’s something so familiar about him. When I look into his ocean-blue eyes, the same feeling overwhelms me as when I was a kid taking the first steps through the doorway after returning from school. I would chuck my backpack over by the shoes I kicked off and just let the safety and security of home take away the day’s minor pressures and childhood dramas.
I get lost in the memory. The em
otions. The once picture-perfect family I was a part of, before it all dissolved into sadness and chaos.
Luke tilts his head. “If you’d rather drop me at the truck stop, I’m completely happy to go there instead,” he says reassuringly.
“What?” I glance over at him before merging out onto the highway.
“You looked so upset. I don’t want to be adding any stress to your life, that’s all.” He winces.
“Oh, I was just thinking. Don’t worry, you’re not adding any stress at all,” I answer gently.
“If you don’t mind me asking.” Luke clears his throat. “Why do you do the free haircuts? Not a lot of people even see the homeless let alone help them out like you do. Is there a special reason you go out of your way? I mean, trust me, it’s definitely appreciated,” he stammers.
“No, I don’t mind. There is a reason.” I take a deep breath and flash back to that serene childhood before Dad’s deployment. The contrast to what our lives became after he came back from Afghanistan, it was night and day. I remember how my father used to dote on me. I was his little princess throughout my entire childhood. Then, when he returned from his second mission in 2003, our entire world was turned upside down. The man who used to teach me simple magic tricks and sing me songs from old movies disappeared. Instead, an angry shell came back to us. His mood swings were violent and, eventually, he was too.
“My father served in the Army, but got released when I was ten,” I explain and turn on the old headlights, slicing a ribbon of light through the darkness of night swirling around us. “Back then, PTSD wasn’t a hot topic, you know?” I glance over at Luke and his eyes grow cloudy as he silently nods. “Guys would come back with it, but the help just wasn’t there. So, well, Dad changed. He became unrecognizable and then, poof.” I blow over my palm like I used to as a kid trying out one of my father’s magic tricks. “He was gone.”
“Gone?” Luke’s voice is tight and his shoulders tense up.
“Yeah, he walked out on us. And, as a child, I couldn’t understand it. I couldn’t make sense of how the man I adored had just stopped loving us. How he could possibly leave. So, I blamed my mother.” Shame billows inside my chest, gripping my guts and wrenching them tight in its grasp as I remember how cruel I became to her. “I told myself that she chased him away because the alternative was just too painful to believe.” I let out a long, shaky breath.
“I’m sorry.” Luke folds his hands together like he wishes there was something he could physically do with them to help, but he can’t.
“Yeah, me too,” I admit. “So, when I grew up a bit and became a teenager, all that rage got directed at my mom. I was miserable to her and rebelled pretty hard. I’m not proud of it, but I was awful,” I confess.
I hit the turn signal and exit off the highway, turning down the familiar ramp that leads home. The darkness of night has engulfed the world now, leaving everything in shadows and hues of gray.
“Well, I don’t know anyone who was an angel in their teen years.” Luke tries to lift my spirits.
“I hear ya.” I nod and turn down the road toward my subdivision. “But I was worse than most, I think. Don’t get me wrong, Mom and I are great now, but then, it was terrible. Anyway, so when I was fourteen, she and I got into another huge fight and I screamed in her face that I hated her. I was shaking with rage, like every cell in my body was just livid. I accused her of forcing my father to leave us and told her I wished she had left instead. I said I would live with him if she hadn’t chased him away.” I frown at the memory. The pain that flashed across her face when I spewed those hateful words at her still haunts me today. I swallow a lump growing in my throat and take a deep breath. “She didn’t yell at me or freak out or anything. She just calmly told me to get in the car. I remember I was so confused, I thought she’d ground me for the rest of my life, or something, but she just grabbed her keys and purse and just drove.”
“Where did she take you?” Luke watches me closely as he hangs on my every word.
“We drove for quite a while and she took us to the sketchiest neighborhood I’d ever seen. I mean, there were prostitutes pacing the sidewalks and junkies slumped against the sides of spray-painted buildings with needles still poking into their arms. It was scary. I asked her where she was taking me, half afraid that I’d pushed her over the edge and she was going to abandon me there. She pointed to a park full of homeless men, some of them carrying all of their worldly possessions in a shopping bag, lying around on the grass. It wasn’t hard to see that they were all addicts of some kind. They were mostly passed out drunk or high. She pointed to them and said ‘You see them? Your dad is probably in there somewhere. You think I chased him away? I fought with everything I had to keep him from leaving, but he was sick, Gabriella. He got lost in dope because he couldn’t deal with the demons the war left him with. Now I don’t want to hear another word about him again. You’re old enough, you know the truth, that’s the end of it.’”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Luke’s lips tug down in the corners. It’s hard to tell through the tears forming in my eyes, but he looks like he might cry too.
“Yeah, me too. Mom got a call almost a year later from the coroner. She had to go identify his body.” I swallow hard as my emotions make my voice quiver. I pull down my road and head toward my townhouse.
“Fuck,” Luke whispers.
“So, when I got older, I promised myself I’d help out the homeless in a meaningful way. And I have a soft spot for struggling veterans.” I smile at him shyly. “I figure it’s only a few hours of my week, but a fresh haircut might help someone get a leg up. Maybe even help them in a job interview, like you.” I pull into my driveway and throw the car in park. I brush the tears from my eyes and sniff loudly.
Luke reaches across the car and grabs my hand in his. I gasp, not expecting his warm touch to envelop my hand. “You’re a beautiful person, Gabriella. I’m sorry it took so much pain to create such an amazing soul.” He meets my eyes and the tears I’ve been trying so hard to hold back, the ones I’ve been trying to hold down for years, well up and spill down my cheeks. Luke unbuttons his seat belt and wraps his arms around me, holding me close as I cry for the father I lost. As I cry out the pain I’ve carried all this time, but refused to experience.
I’m not sure if I’ve been crying for a minute or an hour, but when the tears finally stop flowing, I feel a million times lighter. I pull back and look at Luke’s chiseled chin and full lips. How is it that we can meet the people we need the most in the unlikeliest places? When I woke up today, I didn’t even realize the void that was in my life. Obviously, I understood the pain I carried, but it wasn’t until I met Luke that I really understood how much that sadness had chipped away at my very being. And it wasn’t until tonight that I started to feel whole again.
Chapter 6 - Luke
I look around Gabriella’s humble home as she disappears down the hall to the bathroom. Her mix-matched chairs surrounding the small table in the corner of her kitchen make me smile. Judging by her place, it isn’t hard to see that she isn’t living high on the hog. Why is it that the people who have the least always seem to give the most of themselves? In Gabriella’s case, I understand how her life shaped her into the kind woman I’ve had the good fortune of meeting today. But, in general, it always seems to be the people who have barely enough for themselves who will give you the shirt off their backs.
“There, you should be all set!” Gabriella walks toward me beaming. Her soft smile wears down the hard edges that have formed around my heart, protecting it from the cruelty of the world. When I see her face, when she smiles at me like that, it isn’t hard to believe in the goodness I’ve stopped searching for out there.
“Thanks again for doing this,” I start, but she holds up her hands to silence me and my words dry up. I kick off my shoes and hang my thin, dirty jacket on a hook before following her down to the bathroom.
“Okay, so I’ve got fresh towels, lots of soaps and shamp
oos and stuff like that. Feel free to use any of it. Also, I don’t know if you want to take a bath, but if you do I have some bubble bath under the sink you can use,” she explains.
“No, just a shower will be fine,” I answer and she lingers at my side. I can smell her vanilla perfume as she hovers beside me. For the briefest of moments, I let myself get lost in the idea of her. In an alternate universe where Gabriella and I could’ve been something. Where we could have been everything.
My gaze catches our reflection in the bathroom mirror and reality sets back in, popping my fantasy like a balloon. Someone like her, with her soft curves and silky hair, could never be interested in someone like me. They say the truth hurts. Well, this one is like a punch in the gut.
“Well, I should get cleaned up,” I say too loudly. I can hear the vulnerability in my words echoing off the tile, making me cringe.
“Sure, take as long as you need.” She slowly steps away from me, like there’s something else she wants or there’s something she needs to tell me. However, if she does, she leaves those words unspoken as she closes the door behind her and leaves me in the bathroom.
I quickly strip off my dingy clothes, folding them neatly in a pile and placing them on the edge of the sink. I have clean clothing in my bag, but I’m not ready to wear them yet, so these dirty ones will have to do. I can’t risk getting a stain on my shirt before my job interview.
I turn on the taps in the bathtub and run my hands under the water until the temperature is just right. Pulling up the plug that sprays the shower, I step under the warm rain and close my eyes as my muscles relax. I slide the shower curtain closed and get lost in the simple pleasure of a private, warm shower. It’s one of those things you rarely get to experience when you’re bouncing around in shelters or living in a transition house. Usually the water is freezing, if it’s even working at all. Even in the truck stops, you don’t have real privacy. It’s better, but it’s nothing compared to this.
Night Time Rendez-Vous: 3 sizzling novellas that will keep you up all night Page 22
